Living under God

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post in the archives, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Devotions: Ps 131-35; 2 Ki 23:4-25; 1 Cor 12:1-11; Mt 9:18-26

Lord, I keep my sights at my own level; I don’t occupy myself with things too great or marvelous for me. I have stilled and quieted my soul like a child content at its mother’s breast. My hope and trust are in YHWH. I am zealous to be with God; let the Lord enter His holy place. Bless Israel and Jerusalem; glorify God’s people, and pour shame on His enemies. It is wonderful to live in peace and unity with God’s people. God has ordained peace and blessing for Zion, and everlasting life! Let all bless YHWH who serve in His house. Let us bless God! Lord, we praise You; You are good and gracious. You have redeemed and protected us! Your will rules over all the universe. You are Master over nature; You chose and delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt; You lead Your people through wilderness wandering to the holy Land, displacing the pagan residents. Your name endures forever; You vindicate us always. Let all who have breath praise YHWH!

King Josiah commanded Hilkiah the high priest and all his assistants to cleanse YHWH’s temple of all the vessels made for other gods, and he burned them in the Kidron valley and carried the ashes to Bethel. He deposed the priests of Baal and all others who served various idols. He destroyed the Asherah pole that had desecrated the temple; burned it, beat it to dust, and scattered the dust over paupers’ graves. He destroyed the dormitories of the male and female shrine prostitutes. He cleansed all the cities of Judah and defiled every high place where idolatrous worship had been, and the gate shrines. He restored worship of YHWH throughout the land. He defiled Topheth, where children had been sacrificed to Molech. He destroyed the chariots and got rid of the horses that had been dedicated to sun-worship. He destroyed the pagan altars his grandfather Manasseh had constructed. He destroyed and defiled every place of pagan observance throughout his kingdom. He let stand the tomb of YHWH’s prophet. He executed the priests of the high places in the cities of Samaria and desecrated their altars. He commanded the people to keep the appointed feasts of YHWH, restoring the Passover. He put away mediums and wizards and teraphim and idols and abominations throughout Jerusalem and Judah, and sought to establish the Torah of YHWH. In all this Josiah stands unique among the kings of Judah!

Paul writes concerning spiritual gifts: Understand that the Spirit of God alone confesses that Jesus is Lord; and no one moved by the Holy Spirit can also curse Jesus. There is only one God: one Spirit, one Lord, one God—and God is manifested and provides a variety of gifts and works. To each believer is given some specific manifestation of the Spirit, for the common good: among these are words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. These are distributed by the sovereign Spirit of God.

While Jesus was speaking, a synagogue ruler came and knelt before him, saying ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’ Jesus rose and He and His disciples began to follow the man. A woman came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His garment. She had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years, and said to herself, ‘If I only touch His garment, I shall be made well.’ Jesus turned, saw her, and said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house, he told the crowd of mourners: ‘Depart, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ They laughed at Him, but when the crowd was sent away, Jesus went into the house, took the girl by her hand, and she arose! Report of this circulated throughout that district.